Photos by @kbarberphotography

“When you think of Black and Brown arts and culture, there is more to consider than visual artists; arts and culture includes film, education, tech, policy making, fashion, social movements, and so much more.” – Paul Willis, Managing Director for BAMS Fest

BAMS Fest, or Boston Art & Music Soul Festival, was founded and started back in 2018 by Cat Morris as an extension of her Master’s thesis project at Simmons University. Cat, inspired by the music festivals in Philly focusing on Black culture, said that Boston should have something similar; and lo and behold, BAMS Fest is now in its 5th year in the Boston area.

What started as a one-day event with 2,200 attendees has now turned into a three-day festival with a total expected attendance of 15,000 people, featuring a conference, music performances, a kick-off party, and even a skating party! BAMS Fest runs from June 22nd, Thursday to June 24th, Saturday in Boston, with the music portion of the festival at Franklin Park, Playstead field.

Paul Willis by @kbarberphotography.com

BAMS Fest starts on Thursday, June 22nd with the BAMS Conx conference. There will be panels on topics including queendom, creative career equity, and building brand identity through intention, featuring Cliff Notez, Genie Santiago, Jazzmyn Red, Natan Santos, and more.

The music performances start on Friday evening and will continue into Saturday afternoon, and I can’t wait to see the artists — most local to the Boston area, like Notebook P (Boston Music Awards’ R&B Artist of the Year 2021 and 2022), Tim Hall, Tori Tori, Kei (Boston Music Awards’ New Artist of the Year 2022), Cakeswagg, and SO many more talented creatives and artists!

After a full day of music performances, check out the After Dark Skate Party, hosted by Boston’s very own Amanda Shea (Boston Music Awards’ Spoken Word Artist of the Year 2022) at Chez Vous Skating Rink.

For those who have been to BAMS Fest before and are planning to attend and participate in all the events, Paul Willis says, “It’s bigger than ever and if folks want to see BAMS Fest continue, donate to and support us so we can continue to provide more programming opportunities.”

I had a long conversation with Paul about BAMS Fest, its origin, and its future, and the main takeaway I got is that BAMS Fest is about celebrating the entirety of Black and Brown culture, not just any one thing. In fact, Paul referred to experiencing BAMS Fest as “a way to see and participate in an ecosystem that supports Black and Brown people.”

This year, BAMS Fest is expecting 15,000 people in attendance over the course of its 3 days and will host a variety of small businesses, food trusts, a couple beer gardens, and even a kids zone to make BAMS fest a cultural and educational experience for everyone involved.

BAMS Fest has something for everyone, so buy a ticket while you can. And hopefully, I’ll bump into some of you this weekend!